Bidding
/ˈbɪdɪŋ/noun
The act of offering a price, making a proposal, or giving an order.
Did you know?English bid and bidding descend from a Germanic root meaning “to offer, command, or request,” which is why the word still carries both the force of an order and the ritual feeling of a formal call.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*bʰeydʰ-
“to command, request, or announce”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*bidjaną
“to ask, pray, request”
Old English
English
biddan
“to ask, request, pray, command”
Middle English
English
bidden / bidding
“the act of asking or commanding; later, making an offer”
Modern English
English
bidding
“an offer at auction or an act of directing someone to do something”